Film Rant 1: Ginger Snaps
Just saw this one on DVD and it's been out since 2000. I love good horror movies. Hell--I love bad horror movies too, but this one falls into the smart, well edited, low budget category. Keyword: low budget. It's Canadian and was made for about $41 U.S. As I've said, I can be a procrastinator and here's an example.
Two years ago a friend and I spoke about how we loved werewolf movies--at least clever takes on the riff. We'd both liked Dog Soldiers a lot. He mentioned a "little" Canadian movie he'd heard was terrific--Ginger Snaps. I found it on Amazon and ordered it and we were supposed to watch it. I got it and waited. Two years passed and I hadn't seen it. About a week ago another friend came by and we decided to check it out.
Thumbs WAY up on this one. I will not present spoilers here, so no worries. The movie has an obvious-from-the-get metaphor going which you'll catch in about 15 minutes. This ruins nothing. I will say that the movie definitely gives you a different version of the Werewolf mythology. It also has some other nifty elements. They are in no order of importance:
* A horror movie that doesn't try to be funny nor does it have some message. Other than don't become a werewolf.
*Good young actors who portray high school students who could actually be high school students.
*Writing, pacing and editing that makes up for a small budget.
You'll also notice that the movie is about high school age kids and told from their point of view similar to the cult indie film, Brick and the fact that the adults are portrayed as fairly clueless makes them a bit similar in that regard. The only actor I recognized in the cast was Mimi Rogers and she's a little over the top. The rest are Canadian actors and pretty damn good. Are there problems with Ginger Snaps? There are a few, but this isn't high art, making none of the flaws deal breakers. My friend and I were pleasantly surprised. Did it "scare" us. Nope, but it was good.
An explanation and a warning--I don't require gore in my horror movies. If it fits, fine. I don't dig torture porn or straight up gore films. This movie is fairly gory and it's done well. Lots of blood and some scenes with dogs who have been torn apart. If this bothers you, pass on this one. Plus, remember that this is pretty low budget so over-the-top blechiness wasn't an option even if they wanted it. The truth is, most of the actual gore is off screen or you see the results. Just sayin'.
I have just created the Speelo Film Scale. I give this one 3.5 out of 5--it's a definite rental if you like the genre. (More on my Film Scale later.)
Two years ago a friend and I spoke about how we loved werewolf movies--at least clever takes on the riff. We'd both liked Dog Soldiers a lot. He mentioned a "little" Canadian movie he'd heard was terrific--Ginger Snaps. I found it on Amazon and ordered it and we were supposed to watch it. I got it and waited. Two years passed and I hadn't seen it. About a week ago another friend came by and we decided to check it out.
Thumbs WAY up on this one. I will not present spoilers here, so no worries. The movie has an obvious-from-the-get metaphor going which you'll catch in about 15 minutes. This ruins nothing. I will say that the movie definitely gives you a different version of the Werewolf mythology. It also has some other nifty elements. They are in no order of importance:
* A horror movie that doesn't try to be funny nor does it have some message. Other than don't become a werewolf.
*Good young actors who portray high school students who could actually be high school students.
*Writing, pacing and editing that makes up for a small budget.
You'll also notice that the movie is about high school age kids and told from their point of view similar to the cult indie film, Brick and the fact that the adults are portrayed as fairly clueless makes them a bit similar in that regard. The only actor I recognized in the cast was Mimi Rogers and she's a little over the top. The rest are Canadian actors and pretty damn good. Are there problems with Ginger Snaps? There are a few, but this isn't high art, making none of the flaws deal breakers. My friend and I were pleasantly surprised. Did it "scare" us. Nope, but it was good.
An explanation and a warning--I don't require gore in my horror movies. If it fits, fine. I don't dig torture porn or straight up gore films. This movie is fairly gory and it's done well. Lots of blood and some scenes with dogs who have been torn apart. If this bothers you, pass on this one. Plus, remember that this is pretty low budget so over-the-top blechiness wasn't an option even if they wanted it. The truth is, most of the actual gore is off screen or you see the results. Just sayin'.
I have just created the Speelo Film Scale. I give this one 3.5 out of 5--it's a definite rental if you like the genre. (More on my Film Scale later.)